Happy homecoming in Hinsdale for BC's Nelson
It was a happy homecoming for Burlington Central baseball coach Kyle Nelson Thursday as the Rockets defeated his alma mater, Hinsdale South, 16-10 in Hinsdale.
On a day when a gusty wind was blowing straight in, power-hitting Central catcher Austin Jarvis crushed a grand slam home run over the scoreboard as part of a 3-for-4 afternoon. The grand slam was Jarvis' second of the season and his fifth home run overall in 8 games.
"I couldn't believe anyone hit one out against that wind," Nelson said. "That was a shot. I only saw two or three balls hit over the scoreboard while I was playing there."
The Rockets (7-1) led 7-5 in the sixth inning when they erupted for 8 runs to seal the victory for junior pitcher Nick Hahn (2-0).
Sophomore Tanner Scott went 2-for-4 with an RBI and senior Zach Romando singled, hit 2 sacrifice flies and drove in 3 runs. Jarvis also doubled.
Huntley 3, St. Francis 1: The Red Raiders (5-1) got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning and never trailed as they picked up a nonconference victory over visiting St. Francis. Jake Staab threw a complete-game for the Red Raiders allowing just 2 hits and 3 walks while striking out 9. Nick Bralich led Huntley offensively with a double and an RBI.
Crystal Lake Central 10, Hampshire 8: The Whip-Purs' (2-6) comeback effort fell just short as they fell to the Tigers in this nonconference game at home. Errors proved to be the difference as Hampshire gave up 7 runs total in the fifth and sixth innings, but only 2 of them were earned. Ryan Burke blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh to lead the Whip-Purs offensively while Tyler Carter added 2 RBI. Kent Larson suffered the loss on the mound as he went 51/3 innings, scattering 10 hits while striking out two.
West Chicago 8, Elgin 7: The Maroons (0-3) found themselves in a 6-6 tie heading into the seventh inning, but West Chicago was able to push 2 across in the top of the inning to earn the victory in Elgin. Andrew Higdon paced the Maroons with 2 hits, 2 RBI, and 2 runs while Jacob Meyer also added an RBI. Joe Kellenberger (0-1) suffered the loss, pitching 2 innings in relief while giving up 2 hits and 3 earned runs.
Stevenson 7, Crystal Lake South 6: The Gators found themselves trailing 6-0 after two innings of play and after knotting the game at 6-6 in the fourth, Stevenson plated the winning run in the bottom of the sixth and held on for the victory. Josh Wruck suffered the tough loss, pitching 1 inning and giving up 3 hits and 1 earned run.
Prospect 18, Bartlett 16: The Hawks recorded 14 hits and 16 runs, but gave up 11 first-inning runs and made 10 fielding errors which proved too much to come back from as they were defeated on a windy afternoon at home. Greg Partyka sparked the Hawks' offense as he went 3-for-4 with 2 home runs, a double, 3 runs scored, and 6 RBI. Alex Raver took the loss.